Bathtub and shower surround

ABSTRACT

THIS INVENTION COMPRISES MAKING A TUB FROM RESINBONDED GLASS FIBERS OR A RESIN WITH AN INORGANIC FILLER, WHICH IS PRE-DIMENSIONED, AND A SHOWER SURROUND ADAPTED TO BE ASSOCIATED THEREWITH TO FORM A WATER-TIGHT ENCLOSURE WITH THE TUB. THE TUB AND SHOWER SURROUND ARE PROVIDED WITH IMPROVED JOINTS WHICH WILL BE UNDER TENSION WHEN ASSEMBLED AS AN INTEGRATED TUB AND SHOWER UNIT TO MAKE IT LEAK-PROOF AND WHICH WILL BE FREE FROM ANY SHEARING STRESSES BEING EXERTED ON ANY CAULKING OR OTHER ADHESIVES USED WITH THE JOINTS AFTER THE UNIT IS ASSEMBLED.

Sept. 20, 1971 BATHTUB AND SHOWER SURROUND Original Filed July 1. 1968 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 W wv'l 7 'l l""'1"*' 6 My 'v' Fig. I.

I N V I2 N'I'ORS Koy L. Ruqqles Norman van Skyhowk W ATTORNEY Sept. 20, 1971 RUGGLES EI'AL 3,605,352

BATHTUB AND SHOWER SURROUND Ori inal Filed Jul 1. 1968 g y 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Pd 0 INVI'JN'I'URS q- Koy L. Ruggles D" BY Norman van Skyhowk 4 M ATTORNEY Sept. 20, 1971 u G ETAL 3,605,352

BATHTUB AND SHOWER sunnouun 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Original Filed July 1, 1968 6 b El M 5 M F INVI'JNI'ORS Kay L. Ruggles Norman van Skyhowk M 5% ATTORNEY K. L. RUGGLES EI'AL BATHTUB AND SHOWER SURROUND Original Filed July 1. 1968 Sept. 20, 1911 4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

' Fig.

I INVI'INI'ORS Kay L. Ruqgles Norman van Skyhuwk ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,605,352 BATHTUB AND SHOWER SURROUND Kay L. Ruggles and Norman van Skyhawk, Salt Lake City, Utah, assignors to American Standard Inc., New

York, N.Y. Continuation of application Ser. No. 741,679, July 1,

1968. This application Dec. 12, 1969, Ser. No. 874,663

Int. Cl. A47k 3/ 08, 3/23 U.S. Cl. 52-35 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This application is a continuation of my earlier copending application Ser. No. 741,679 filed July 1, 1968, which has since been allowed to become abandoned.

This invention relates to an improved tub and shower surround.

Combination bath and showers today are usually custom constructed using a conventional tub and then laying ceramic tile around the walls surrounding the tub. The ceramic tile is fitted to the surfaces of the tub and a suitable grout is used to fill in any spaces between the tile and the tile and the tub. The latter procedure requires skilled craftsmen, it is costly and requires a great deal of time. This procedure has been necessary to follow because when cast iron tubs are made, they are re-heated to add porcelain to the finish and at this temperature, and also during casting, there is a certain amount of warping that takes place so the tub surfaces are not always flat, and as a consequence, when a straight surface is placed in contact with the tub, there will be undulations in the spacing between the two surfaces.

An object of this invention is to provide tub and shower enclosures manufactured as pre-dimensioned separate components, which are capable of being stacked side-byside for shipment to the building site, and then quickly assembled and installed in the bathroom at the building site, forming a leak-proof bathtub and shower surround assembly.

It is another object of this invention to provide a channel groove along the edge of the tub into which the bottom edges of the shower enclosure walls can be inserted, and wherein the outside wall of said channel groove extends higher than the inside wall so that any Water escaping into the channel groove would overflow into the tub.

A further object is to provide an improved spring-tensioned corner joint for joining the vertical edge of two adjoining end panels together, to form a U-shaped shower enclosure.

Another object is to provide a shower enclosure wherein the upper edge of each shower wall panel is offset so that after it is nailed fast to the studs, plasterboard or other wall covering material may be installed over the off-set nailing strip to form a finished abutment with the shower enclosure.

A further object is to provide an improved locking corner joint for a shower enclosure made from materials such as resin-bonded glass fibers wherein the joint auto- 3,6fl-5,35Z Patented Sept. 20, 1971 matically locks and is held under spring tension to avoid vertical shear relative to the two surfaces when the end wall is swung into final position and dropped into the recessed slot formed in the upper edge of the tub rim.

Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description considered in connection with accompanying drawings which disclose a few embodiments of the invention. It should be understood, however, that the drawings are designed for the purpose of illustration only and not as a definition of the limits of the invention as to which reference should be made to the appended claims.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view, partially in section, of one end of the tub and one corner of the shower enclosure walls.

FIG. 2 is a front elevation of the rear shower enclosure wall.

FIG. 3 is a top sectional view of the back wall taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is an end view of the back wall of the shower enclosure taken on line 44 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a front view of the end wall of the shower enclosure having the shower pipe opening formed therein.

FIG. 6 is an end view of the showerhead end panel showing strengthening ribs cast into the end wall panel.

FIG. 7 is a sectional detailed view of the righthand corner joint between the rear wall and the end panel showing in phantom the hinge joint before tension is applied thereto when placing the end panel in permanent position.

FIG. 8 is a modified view of another form of corner joint, showing how this would be employed in the lefthand corner of the tub, and showing in phantom the hinge joint before tension is applied thereto when placing the end panel in peramnent position.

FIG. 9 is a detailed cross-sectional view showing the shower end wall extending downwardly into the caulking and into a receiving slot formed in the tube to lock the side panel to the back wall to prevent axial movement relative to the side and rear walls of the shower enclosure.

FIG. 10 is a detailed cross-sectional view showing the back wall extending downwardly into a receiving slot having caulking deposited therein and how the tub is fastened to the wall.

Referring to the drawings, I have shown a preferred form of our tub and shower enclosure in FIG. 1. The tub may be made from any suitable material which can be pre-sized in manufacture such as plastics or resinbonded glass fibers. Resin-bonded glass fibers construction is particularly advantageous because of the ease at which plastic material can be sprayed or cast on a mold. After the product is removed from the mold, the surfaces will conform to the mold configurations and will have the final finish. Any straight surfaces will not be warped after setting, so that several dilferent parts can be made on different molds with the assurance they will fit together after manufacture, if the molds are correct. That is because the castings do not have to be subjected to subsequent operations that warp the product.

The tub is formed with a flat upper rim 22 and a horizontal support flange 14 on the three wall sides of the tub which are to be surrounded by bathroom walls. The underside of this flange 14 rests on the building framing which is carried by the structural portions of the building and supports the tub 10. Instead of having a support rib 1 6, hangers or straps could be provided for a similar purpose to form a cradle for receiving the support flange 14.

In order to provide a leak-proof water connection between the tub and the shower surround walls, the horizontal flange 14 terminates with an upwardly extending lip 20 on the three wall sides of the tub which is at a higher elevation than the inner rim 22 of the tub as shown in FIG. 10. These upwardly extending lips 20, shown in detail on FIGS. 9 and 10, are fastened to the frame of the building by screws or nails 28 to hold the tub and rim 14 in place on the horizontal support ribs 16.

In order for the rear wall to be self-locking relative to the tub, the horizontal and vertical flange 14 and 20 are shaped in the form of a U-shaped recess or pocket 24 into which the bottom edges 26 of the back and end walls of the rear shower surround are seated as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. Once the bottom edge 26 of the back and end shower surround walls 18 and 20a are seated in this U-shaped recess, the bottoms of the walls are prevented from moving later-ally.

The point between the back wall panel 18 and the end wall panel 20a shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, is of an improved construction and is water-tight and which will avoid axial shear of any caulking or adhesive applied to the joint.

Referring to FIG. 7, the back wall 18 terminates in a resilient U-shaped hook 30 which when it has no tension applied thereto, assumes the position shown in dotted lines. The side or end wall 20a has a male extension 32 which is adapted to be inserted in and be spring trapped within the cavity of the curved flange type hook 30. Both the hook 30 and the edge 32 extends along the entire vertical height of the back and end walls. A small furrow 34 is formed along the length of the male member 32 for receiving a bead of flexible caulking which acts as a vapor barrier. This caulking is applied at the time the member 32 is inserted into the receiving pocket of the hook type edge 30.

Once the edge of the wall panel 20a has been placed in position, the wall panel 20a is then swung from the dotted position shown in FIG. 7 into the full line position shown in FIG. 7 to bring the wall panel 20 up against the side wall which adjoins the ends of the tub. When the end wall 20a is brought into abutment with the bathroom wall in this manner, it will move the curved hook from the dotted position to the full line position shown in FIG. 7, bringing the back portion 30a into contact with the limiting stop 32a of member 32, thereby applying spring tension to the hook 30 and spring trapping the male lug of the wall 28 in the cavity of the curved hook 30.

When this occurs, the hook 30, and the male edge 32 of the end panel 20a will exert spring tension force laterally against each other, thereby firmly clamping each other together so that there will be no relative longitudinal movement in an up and down direction between these members. When the caulking compound 34 cures, there will be no shear action on the caulking, so that the seal is maintained because of the clamping action just described. It will be appreciated that the corner shown in FIG. 7 is the righthand corner, and that the left-hand corner of the shower enclosure is constructed and installed in a similar manner.

The male member 32 and the female hook type gripping surface 30 both have corresponding and cooperating curved configurations so that once the male member 32 has been inserted in the receiving pocket of the hook type female member 30 and the end wall 2011 have been swung into final open position, the edge of the end wall panel 20a having member 32 will be securely locked to the back wall panel so that they cannot be laterally dislodged from each other, nor can they be moved rectilinearly relatively to each other because of the spring tension described above.

In FIG. 8, I have shown a modified form of a joint.

In this case, I have shown how the modified form of tends into a receiving pocket 30a formed in the left edge of the back wall panel 18a, in a manner similar to the members 32 and 30 in FIG. 7. The terminal edge 36 of the back wall panel 18a is enlarged and projects inwardly as shown in FIG. 8. The entire corner joint 30a and 36 has a natural untensioned position shown in dotted outline.

The edge surface of the end wall panel 201) has a configuration which corresponds to the inner surfaces of spring member numbered 30a and 36. When the end wall panel 20b is inserted into the receiving pocket 30a, it is swung from the dotted position shown in FIG. 8 to the full line position shown therein. In the full line position of panel 20b, the enlarged terminal edge 36 will have had spring tension force imparted thereto. When the end panel 20b has been moved to its full line position in this manner, the spring tension force being exerted by the members 30a and 36 will prevent the end walls 20b from moving up and down relative to the back wall panel 18a. Because of the configuration of the edge of the end wall panel 20b, corresponding to the inner surfaces of members 30a and 36 of back wall panel 18a, the end panel 20b is maintained free from moving towards and away from the back wall panel When the end wall penls 20a or 20b have been locked to the back wall panel 18 or 18a in the manner described and have been swung to their open position, the bottom edge of the back wall panels 18 and 18a and end wall panels 20a and 20b will be superimposed above the channel 14, shown in FIGS. 1, 9 and 10. Suitable fresh caulking 38 is placed in the channel 14 filling it completely, before the end wall panels 20a and 20b are swung into open position. When the back wall and end wall panels, are all interlocked together in the manner shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 and the assemblage is lowered into the channel 14, it will engage the caulking and the back wall and end wall panels will come to rest on top of the rim 22 of the bathtub as shown in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10. When the foot 26 of the back walls 18 and 18a and end wall panels 20a and 2012 are lowered into the channel 14, they will be held by the channel 14 in their open position. Excess caulking can then be wiped away.

The end wall panels 20a and 20b are formed with plastic or metal nailing tabs or strips 40 as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 5. These tabs 40 are nailed fast to the studs and further serve to secure the end panels 20a and 20b in open position. The upper edge of the back wall 18 and the end wall panels 20a and 20b are formed with an offset flange as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 4 and 5. These flanges 42 and 44 can be a continuation of the plastic molding process or could be metal tabs cast in the panels at the time they were manufactured.

The flanges 42 and 44 are off-set relative to the finished surfaces of the back panel 18 and the end panel 20, as shown in FIG. 1, so that when wall-board 46, or other suitable wall covering material is applied, it will come into abutment with the top edge 48 and 50 of the back wall and end wall panels, thus providing a finished surface which covers the flanges securing the panels in place.

Wall-board or other suitable wall covering material is brought into abutment with the exterior edge of the end panels, and such wall-board or other material covers the nailing strips 40. Suitable design configurations, such as the curved surfaces 52 and the identations 54, shown in FIG. 3, may be incorporated with the back wall panel so as to enhance its appearance and add rigidity. Likewise, suitable ribbing 56 may also be incorporated to strengthen the back wall panel. The side panels may also be constructed with ribbing 58, as shown in FIG. 6, to add rigidity to the end Wall panels.

While this invention has been described with reference to certain preferred embodiments of the invention, these are illustrative only, as many alternative and equivalents will readily occur to those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit or proper scope of the inven- 5 tion. The invention is therefore not to be construed as limited, except as set forth in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A pre-dimensioned tub and shower foldable panel enclosure comprising a tub having a water imperious channel formed in the dim of said tub for receiving the bottom edge of a panel, said channel having an outer perimeter wall and an inner perimeter wall, the outer perimeter wall being higher than the inner perimeter wall to prevent water in said channel from running outside of said tub, and adjoining shower surdound panels having interlocking corners and said panels being movable from a folded to an unfolded position, means for immovably locking the corners of said panels together in a spring trap relationship when said adjoining panels have been moved to unfolded position for lowering into said channel, said spring trapping maintaining said panel in unfolded position.

2. A pre-dirnensioned tub and shower enclosure having the featudes provided for in claim 1, a key configuration is formed on a vertical corner of one of said panels, to effect a locked relationship free from rectilinear movement between said adjoining wall panels.

3. A shower surround having the features provided for in claim 1, wherein the adjoining edges of said panels are formed with stops limiting pivotal movement between the panels to effect a spring trap action therebetween when said panels are moved into permanent open position.

4. A shower surround, having the features provided for in claim 1, wherein said tub is a poly sided base having a channel around three sides thereof for receiving the lower edge of the shower surround walls when they have been assembled and moved into unfolded position to maintain the same in open position, the outer wall of said channel being higher than the inner wall thereof to prevent water from running over the outer wall.

5. A shower surround for a bathtub having the features described in claim 1, wherein said panels comprise a back wall panel and side wall panels adjoining the back wall panel, a groove is formed along one of the edges of the back wall and end wall panels for receiving a bead of caulking compound prior to the assembly of said surfaces to form a concealed interlocking water-tight joint therebetween.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,704,105 3/1929 Sauer 5235 2,128,424 3/1938 Marshall 52-35 2,784,418 3/1957 Luoma 4-173X 3,260,027 7/1966 Page et al. 52-602 3,359,574 12/1967 Stonebuner 5235X 3,397,496 8/1968 Sohns 52286 3,420,028 1/1969 Barker 52630X PRICE C. FAW, Ir., Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 

